Opening Doorz

By Oriana D’Souza | Opening Doorz Editorial | October 23, 2020

Book Review: The Richest Man in Babylon
Author: George S Clason
Rating: 5 / 5

The Essence: Getting a grip on this book can be the first step toward the process of fattening your wallet and making sure that the river of wealth in your life is always overflowing. This book feels like a conversation with a wise and experienced person. The fictional stories of the people of Babylon, and their struggles are so gripping that you may barely be able to put the book down.

The Richest Man in Babylon

In his book, The Richest Man in Babylon (First Edition: 1926) George S Clason narrates a cautionary tale of a battle against the enemy of debt and the shackles of poverty. As the stories of his fictional characters progress, he also teaches us how to conquer poverty, by relating the unchanging laws applicable throughout the years and into the future.

Clason beautifully juxtaposes the stories of his fictional characters such as Arkhad (known at the time to possess more wealth than any other man before him in all of Babylon), the camel trader, the gold lender, the slave and countless other anecdotes.

The author dives deep into the lives of common men as well as affluent merchants covering a range of concepts such as savings, investments, gold, management, wealth accumulation, and much more. If anyone abides by these rules, wealth would befriend them and never leave their side, just as it did with all the men of Babylon.

The book is meant to be a roadmap to freedom from debt and the burden of labor. Though many of the investment options spoken about in the book are ancient and not of much relevance today, their modern equal can be assumed throughout the book. The author, however, does not attempt to advise readers as to the best investment option or sources of funds. On the contrary, he teaches you the attitude and behavioral psychology behind making safe and honest investments which in turn help you put your wealth to work for you.

From rags to riches

A common theme can be observed throughout the book: of suffering men who are knee-deep in debt that they have no means to repay; men who have aims in life that were never met; men seeking council from those that have seemed to rise from poverty into a life of riches.

The reader is introduced to the story of two honest labourers struggling to make ends meet who are jealous of the success of their childhood friend, Arkhad and his bountiful estate. As all three of them studied under the same master and originally possessed the same meagre belongings, their desire to provide for their family and partake in the riches of their city compels them to seek the advice of Arkhad, who at the time was known to be the wisest. Arkhad, pleased with their realization, invites them and is happy to share his wisdom and teachings and in doing so, gives readers a peek into his success and the forgotten route.

Another story that stands out is about the goddess of luck; she always seems to favour the ones who make use of opportunities that come their way. A third follows a man seeking advice from a money-lender on how best to use his earnings. This is followed by the camel trader who relays his story to his people. His story is one which begins in slavery, ending in riches and how it always begins with repaying debt. There’s also the story of the seemingly lucky, rich man who talks of the value of honest work and how it has the power to change destiny and rebuke fate!

Toward the end, the book provides readers with the five universal laws of gold, and the seven cures of a lean purse.

A must-read

Getting a grip on this book can be the first step toward the process of fattening your wallet and making sure that the river of wealth in your life is always overflowing. This book feels like a conversation with a wise and experienced person. The fictional stories of the people of Babylon, and their struggles are so gripping that you may barely be able to put the book down.

This is hands-down the most spellbinding book that will compel you to live the lives and the mistakes of the characters the author speaks about and thus learn from their downfalls and seek their gains.

(Oriana D’Souza has completed her Bachelors in Business Administration from Amity University and is currently pursuing a professional diploma in Wealth Management from NMIMS, Mumbai. For the moment, her plans for Ohio State University to study Specialised Masters in Finance is on hold due to the pandemic).

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